


Withstanding Haven

by my_dark_disquiet



Series: The Morpho Catalyst [2]
Category: Original Work, Poets of the Fall
Genre: Angst, Experimental Style, Gen, Horror, Hurt, I'll add more tags later, Manipulation, Suffering, Supernatural Elements, Suspense, there will be a brief mention of the bois at one time
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:27:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 6,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28712772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_dark_disquiet/pseuds/my_dark_disquiet
Summary: Years before the arrival of Poets of the Fall and their crew to Haven, Cameron, Emily and Eddie documented their notes and research on their strange, wrathful, curious town. While most records of said notes and research were burned or destroyed, the remaining pages have been compiled together for information purposes.On behalf of the Editors, and Haven itself, I welcome you.Let's hope that they don't find out I released this into the open. They'll have me killed - properly this time.
Series: The Morpho Catalyst [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2104809
Comments: 26
Kudos: 3





	1. Introduction

**Introduction**

* * *

_ This will be quick. _

_ I might not make much sense. I’m sorry. _

_ I shouldn’t be doing this. _

_ I can’t say too much or they’ll know. _

_ You’ll get the occasional quick word from me. _

_Nothing more, nothing less._

_ \- A.M. _


	2. Document 1 - The Rules

**Document 1 - The Rules**

* * *

_Compiled by Sirius, Polaris & Acrux _

As of writing, on the 16th of January, 2015, we are the only three people who are actually awake and aware here in Haven. We don’t know how deep Haven can look inside our minds (if at all) and how far it can see into our notes - hence why we’ve given ourselves cover names to mask who we are… just in case someone finds all of this.

What we do know is that there’s something really strange happening here. Acrux laughs at that sentence (this is Sirius writing currently) but it’s only been recently that we have realised that not everywhere is like Haven. What would we know? We’ve lived here our whole lives and never left. Our only glimpses of the outside world are the lost travellers that frequent our roads, and even then, we’ve seen what happens if you ask them about the outside world.

The reason there are only three of us in the entire town of about 1,000 people is because the other people who were like us are gone. Haven took them all away, one by one. Look, we don’t have any damn idea how we’ve stayed safe, but after seeing people talk to outsiders and then disappear left and right, it was enough of a warning.

We now have a vague idea of what we can and can’t do.

> 1: Never, ever, ever speak to travellers about the outside world.
> 
> 2: If you overhear someone talking to a traveller about exactly that, do not interrupt.
> 
> 3: Be nice to the travellers. This may be their last good experience for a long time.
> 
> 4: Let travellers do their thing. 
> 
> 4a: Don’t refuse them a drink, despite knowing what will happen (Sirius, this one is for you).
> 
> 4b: Don’t stop them from taking photos of you. They’re stubborn. You know what will happen either way.
> 
> 5: There are places that travellers cannot be allowed inside. Do not let them in. 
> 
> 5a: Especially Room 34 (even if it’s the only one available, Polaris).
> 
> 5b: Not the Prodigy Theatre, either.
> 
> 5c: If they’ve managed to get inside the power plant, it’s too late.
> 
> 6: Don’t mention the sickness.
> 
> 6a: Even if someone close to you has fallen to it.
> 
> 7: Don’t move a muscle when someone new arrives in the Angel Garden. Haven will see you.
> 
> 8: Don’t talk about an arrival to the Garden the morning after to somebody else.
> 
> 9: Walk in time. Blink in time. Breathe in time. Hopefully your heart will beat in time if you try hard enough.
> 
> 10: Stay together, always.

* * *

_I didn’t follow these rules carefully enough._

_\- A.M._


	3. Voice Log 1 - Polaris & Acrux

**Voice Log 1 - Polaris & Acrux**

* * *

A: Why are there keys to one of the hotel rooms in your bag?

P: Oh, those? Look,  █████, I haven't looked into it enough, but I can’t let anyone in there.

A: Did someone get ridiculously high or drunk enough to throw up in there? Or…

P: It’s another one of  _ those _ places. 

A:  _ Oh. _

P: Yeah. Something’s up with Haven. It’s not happy about something, that’s for sure.

A: It wasn’t like that before?

P: No, I cleaned the room a week ago when a couple checked out.

A: Did they…

P: Not as far as I know. They barely talked to me. The husband was deaf and his wife spoke no more than five words - ‘can we have a room’.

A: They didn’t go anywhere?

P: I don’t think so.

A: Why’s Haven having a fit then?

P: No idea. Maybe it’s something I did. Maybe it noticed me make a misstep when there was an arrival last week?

A: You’d be dead if you had.

P: I don’t know, █████! We don’t know why Haven’s doing this. We don’t know why it’s altering these buildings and making them do all sorts of weird shit.

A: Well, what’s going on in Room 34 then? 

P: It’s empty.

A: Empty as in… all the furniture is gone?

P: Fucking hell, █████, no the furniture isn’t gone. It’s completely empty. Nothing is in there. No walls, no floor, no roof, just… white. Empty.

A: What do you mean, it’s empty? How?

P: The door opens up to a literal void. There’s nothing there at all.

A: Did you go inside?

P: I wouldn’t dare.

* * *

_ I redacted their names from this document to keep them safe. You’ll only know them by their cover names. - A.M. _


	4. Document 2 - Those Who Came Before

**Document 2 - Those Who Came Before**

* * *

_ There were others like us who are now no longer with us. In all the morbid detail I wish I didn’t have to write, here they all are. _

_ \- Polaris _

Alexa Springer, born 2000. She had a conversation with a tourist about where he lived. She went insane, seemingly cutting out her wings entirely - though bleeding out before she could try and make a getaway. She arrived in the Angel Garden only a day later.

Elias Heiser, born 1999. He made a misstep while witnessing an arrival to the Garden, and Haven noticed. He seemed physically and mentally fine until he murdered his entire family the same night he arrived in the Angel Garden.

Seth Wittmer, born 1997. He was one of the oldest of us all. He was particularly skilled at fitting in and moving perfectly in time, but Haven found him anyway. He got sick all within a week, descended to a worse condition than we’ve ever seen, and appeared in the Garden two days later.

Tabitha Roth, born 2001. Went with her friend, Mara, into the Prodigy Theatre and was never seen again until she and her friend appeared in the Garden six months later. Tabitha’s death sparked an inquest into the Prodigy Theatre and what exactly happened there.

Mara Bachman, born 2002. Accompanied Tabitha into the Prodigy Theatre and wasn’t seen until her arrival at the Angel Garden. We have a slight feeling that she and Tabitha had possibly starved to death inside of the theatre.

Eli O’Toole, born 1996. After being thrown out of home due to a transphobic family, I let them stay in one of the hotel rooms free of charge for as long as they needed it. One night they stayed out late working at Jupiter’s, and I’m not too sure what happened, but they must have had a conversation with a traveller. They arrived in the Angel Garden five months afterward.

* * *

_ I’m going to make some edits here. _

_ Eddie McClay, born 2000. Explored the Prodigy Theatre alongside two friends, was fine the first time around, but saw something he shouldn’t have. Progressively got sick and, after returning to the theatre’s halls once again, went missing for five months before finally arriving in the Angel Garden. _

_ Emily Lambright, born 2001. Evaded Haven for years - she was one of the longest living out of all the people who were aware - and did not die from the sickness, unlike everyone else. She died by Haven’s hand, however, drowning in the reservoir waters of the Mount Serene Hydroelectric Power Plant while handcuffed to a wall. Tragic. _

_ Cameron Lancaster, born 2001. The best of us all, the only one who managed to escape. I don’t exactly know how he died - but I do know, from observation, that Matthew (his new consciousness) does miss him… and takes on some of the blame. Matthew also thinks that Cam was a crazy bastard in his last few moments, I know that for sure. _

_ There was no Angel Garden for Emily and Cameron to arrive at when they died. _

_ Cameron was the last one to go. _

_ There aren’t any of us left anymore. - A.M. _


	5. Supplement 1 - Who Is This?

**Supplement 1 - Who Is This?**

* * *

Whoever’s editing and distributing this to me, well, I’d start off saying that this isn’t welcome. I’ve moved on. Let me move on.

Look, whoever you are, ‘A.M.’, I hope you can read this because you need to understand that I don’t want anything to do with this anymore. I’m not Cameron, I can’t help you with whatever you want, I’m Matthew, and I have my own life that I’m trying to live outside of all the shit that happened in Haven, okay?

It’s been four fucking years since all this happened, please just leave me alone.

Whoever you are.

* * *

_ I thought you were more compassionate than this. _

_ That was one thing you and Cameron were always bound to share - your compassion. I've seen it. _

_ Without your compassion, you would have never gone to Haven again. _

_ You always strived to find answers before passing judgement. What’s changed? _

_ I know you think about him. Don’t bother denying it. _

_ I’ve given this to you so that you can have an insight into Cameron’s life before he escaped.  _

_ You constantly wonder what his life was like in Haven, and here is your answer in this document. _


	6. Video Footage 1 - The House of █████ McClay (Extended Cut)

**Video Footage 1 - The House of █████ **McClay (Extended Cut)****

* * *

“Cut the bullshit,  ███████. █████ didn’t die because he talked to an outsider.” Sirius huffs, pushing Polaris’ shoulder. “We can’t keep denying it, can we?”

Polaris sighs. “We can’t. There’s no denying how dangerous that hellhole of a theatre is.”

Sirius turns the camera back to the wall of bloodied writing. It’s gotten darker, possibly indicating that it’s been a few days since the first video was taken. 

“Jesus… there’s so much shit in here. He couldn’t have done all this in the small amount of time between that first time we explored the Prodigy and the last time we saw him, right?”

Polaris stands up and snatches a sheet of paper off the walls. He reads over it many times, his eyes buzzing from side to side, while shaking his head with an exasperated sigh. Screwing the paper up, he throws it against the wall across from him where the bloodied writing sits threateningly.

“None of any of this makes sense - I don’t think we’re going to find anything useful here.” Polaris spits, frustration radiating from his expression.

The pair go silent for a moment, realising the truth behind the sentence Polaris had just said. They weren’t going to find anything useful inside of █████’s house. 

“We went too deep. Too far into the Prodigy, too far down into the place we shouldn’t have fucking gone.” Sirius lays the camera on the floor, her head in her hands, knees pulled to her chest. “It’s a wonder we didn’t die in there… god, that place was the closest to hell I think a human could ever get.”

Polaris glances up at Sirius, scratching his head a little. “Do you… do you think, if we kept going, we’d get there?”

“Where?”

“Hell. Do you think it’s down there?” Polaris questions, looking Sirius directly in the eye. 

His own sage green eyes glisten in the cold light shining through the windows from the street lamps. It’s hard to figure out how exactly he feels about this whole conversation, and really, this whole ordeal entirely, but if you look close enough you can see a little tinge of something truly fearful.

Sirius tightens her rosy lips and sighs quietly. “I’m not sure. Maybe beyond that horizon, or maybe…”

She pauses, pushing her glasses up a little and swallowing hard.

“Maybe, by the time we made it to the opening… maybe we were already there.”

* * *

_ I remember that opening. _

_ I also remember that it was the last thing I saw before I started getting sick. _

_ Though… maybe I already was sick by the time we made it there.  _

_ One foot already in the grave. - A.M. _


	7. Archive 1 - The Haven Scout Troop, Entry 1

**Archive 1 - The Haven Scout Troop, Entry 1**

* * *

Last edited: 23-04-16

Edited by: Elias Heiser

View edit history

-

_Author’s note:_

_I hope this is helpful, Sirius. That… that’s the name you wanted me to use, right? I hope so._

_Look, I’m writing these so that you don’t have to be scared shitless when you watch all the stuff that happens in the scout troop. Just be aware that none of it is gonna be pretty. These people are maniacs… or more, Haven is a sick entity or whatever the fuck it is that loves to force its residents to do some truly heinous shit for its entertainment._

_-_

_The Haven Scout Troop has existed for as long as people have been living here. Which is… an undetermined amount of time. A long time, probably. Who knows._

_Enough with that bullshit._

_It’s split into five age groups of sorts. The little kids, around the ages of 5 and 7, then the annoying little shits around 8 and 10. Things start getting real at this next central age group - 11 to 15. Haven isn’t afraid to make these kids do some crazy shit. Then there’s the section I’m in, everyone between 16 and 18. The final one… well, not many people get there, but more on that later._

_The really young kids light fires, mostly. And really, that’s what normal scout troops do, but this is different. They burn things. They burn little models of houses that they build out of tiny twigs and leaves. And this sounds weird, only if you’re unaware of what the oldest scouts do._

_The slightly older kids learn a bit more. How to trap little rabbits and birds and all that fuckery, along with more fire. The model houses are bigger here. They also go swimming, do little skits and performances in the Prodigy, and sometimes are taken on little trips to the power plant. This is the only time I’ve ever heard of the workers speaking and leaving their posts to talk to the kids._

_The central section is, like I said, where shit gets weird. The house burnings get even bigger. They spend every second week constructing a little cabin no bigger than a single bedroom. Every week they don’t do that… there’s a ritual. Yeah._

_The rituals are where you really get freaked out. I have no fucking idea how they do it, but trying to play along has almost gotten me killed, if not for the fact that it’s so difficult to do so, but this is the only time I’ve felt Haven really close. I can feel it grasping at my ankles and trying to grab at my heart._

_They do something, and I don’t know what, but they make everyone take a slice at their palm and let the blood drip until it puts out the candle you’re given at the beginning. Then… yeah. I’m not a big fan of explaining what happens in these because it genuinely terrifies me._

_You turn to your right, where another scout is standing, and one by one you pour that awful wax and blood mixture over that person’s eyes, gluing them shut. This is my least favourite thing about the whole ritual. I won’t sugarcoat the experience for you. By then, you should be scared._

_The next parts of the ritual are unseen, because the leaders - whose eyes are still very much open - have another 6 precise steps they do. I obviously don’t know what they are but there’s definitely a dead bird involved. I hear them kill it every time. I don’t know where they get the bird from, but they give us a feather to hold each._

_Some of the other steps are reciting some words which we repeat. If it’s okay, I’d really like to uh… not write those down._

_By the end, Haven is there. In the room, with us._

_Well, if you speak in technicalities, Haven is always in the room with us, but no, this is different. Everyone becomes a concentrated source of Haven, and I don’t know how, but I do too, and you will as well._

_Everyone convulses. Some pass out in heaving breaths. Many people’s hands, including mine, twitch and shake. Cold becomes hot and hot becomes cold, and you lose sense of time._

_Ten minutes in, and while you’re not in pain - nobody is in pain - you feel this immense pressure sitting on your chest._

_Twenty minutes, and you can’t breathe. Not just because of the weight, not just because the air is becoming harder to take in, but because you are starting to struggle to do things yourself. You have no independence._

_Thirty minutes is when your mind starts to entangle itself with everyone else’s, where you can hear everyone’s heart beats, all in sync, all perfect, none out of time by a single millisecond._

_Fourty, and your bones start creaking. Shifting. This is Haven making sure that everyone looks the same and hasn’t deviated. Of course, they can’t fix my eyes like this, so I don’t get lost into the endless ocean any further - and you won’t either._

_Fifty minutes in, and your breaths are as shallow as a puddle on the road. If you don’t concentrate on it, and dedicate all your thought processes to simply breathing, you will pass out, and Haven will find you. Your lungs will ache endlessly._

_The moment sixty minutes pass, everyone’s heart stops._

_How do I know this?_

_At this point, you get so close to Haven that almost every last tendril of your mind is woven into the rest of the town’s hive mind. You hear the heartbeat of the town, and your lungs inflate and deflate in time with that too - well, until your heart stops, which is when you stop breathing as well._

_The leaders pick you up one by one and their cold hands pull you out of the delirium that covered you moments prior. Then you just want to go home. You’re exhausted. Terrified, if it’s your first time there._

_Nobody else feels the same except for us, the different ones._

_I don’t exactly know the purpose of the ritual, but whatever they do, they pretty much fucking summon Haven. And that fact alone scares me shitless. You could get caught here, in fact, I have no idea how I haven’t been found out yet._

_You’ve gotta be so fucking careful, Sirius._

_In my age group, the burnings cease. The rituals do, too, which was a relief. We don’t really do much, and we meet less, but leading up to the new year the meetings happen weekly again._

_Why, you may ask?_

_The Judgements happen in the coming days prior to the turnover. And boy, oh boy, those are a whole other level of hell._

_The final age group, from 18 onwards, is locked behind the Judgements. You can only join if you pass._

_Only one of every 10 people who participate pass them._


	8. Document 3 - Room 34's Final Examination [Altered]

**Document 3 - Room 34's Final Examination [Altered]**

* * *

_ Sirius, with Polaris’ assistance _

There are many observations we have taken of Room 34 which we have confirmed to be absolutely undeniable - there are never any changes or wavers in our results. Everything stays the same in this impossible location, and while its initial appearance to a viewer standing at the door is rather mundane, we have discovered that is not the case if you go inside.

Examined in full, there are a number of incontrovertible facts about Room 34:

> 1.0 - Light inside Room 34 is always cast from a human-made source, such as a lantern or torch.
> 
> 1.1 \- There is no existence of a natural light source in Room 34.
> 
> 2.0 - No humidity is present, despite it appearing so.
> 
> 3.0 - No air movement (eg. breezes, wind gusts) is present, despite it appearing so.
> 
> 4.0 - The temperature stays at a constant 72 degrees Fahrenheit/22 degrees Celcius (measured using a thermometer sourced from inside Room 34)
> 
> 5.0 - There is no sound.
> 
> 5.1 - Except for the dull, quiet rumble of something deep, dark, below.
> 
> 6.0 - 4 of 5 human senses (all except for sight) are completely blanketed out once inside Room 34’s interior.
> 
> 6.1 - Senses are dulled down when within the entryway of Room 34.
> 
> 7.0 - Electronics sourced from outside Room 34 do not operate inside.
> 
> 8.0 - Compasses do not function inside Room 34.
> 
> 8.1 - Compasses sourced from inside Room 34 may function at times, with variable accuracy.
> 
> 9.0 - Room 34 will purge itself of any foreign material brought inside from elsewhere.
> 
> 9.1 - This includes dead bodies.
> 
> 10.0 - If you walk far enough through the entryway, you will eventually enter an █████████ ████████████ ████ of Haven, with noticeable differences elsewhere.
> 
> 10.1 - Room 34’s Haven can be ███████.
> 
> 10.2 - ██████ ███████ does not go on forever inside Room 34.
> 
> 10.3 - ███ ███████ ███████ does not go on forever inside Room 34.
> 
> 10.4 - The ███████ █████ is accessible, though further exploration is dangerous.
> 
> 11.0 - There are people inside Room 34.
> 
> 11.1 - There is a great chance that Room 34 is populated by the people ███████ ██ ███ █████ ██████.
> 
> 11.2 - These people cannot be taken outside of Room 34.
> 
> 12.0 - Prolonged time spent inside Room 34 can leave lasting effects on a person’s ability to hear, speak, smell and taste. 
> 
> 12.1 - Touch sensations are interpreted as hostile contact and, in many cases, result in retaliation to any sensations presented for days after exposure.
> 
> 13.0 - Nobody is to enter Room 34 after the 23rd of September, 2018.
> 
> 13.1 - This includes Polaris, Sirius and Acrux.

* * *

_ I remember Room 34. _

_ It was heaven. _

_ It also scared me. A lot. _

_ That’s why it was locked away - to keep people from going inside. - A.M. _


	9. Voice Log [XXXX] - Sirius [Deleted]

**Voice Log [XXXX] - Sirius [Deleted]**

* * *

S: We shouldn’t have ever gone down there.

_ She sighs, sniffing a little. Her voice is watery and weak. _

S: It’s all my  fucking fault, too! I suggested we investigate, I suggested we go deeper into the Prodigy, and now  █████ is  fucking dead because of me!

S: We found hell down there. We did, I know we did. I don’t want to accept that we did, but I’m sure that’s where we ended up. That frozen, icy landscape haunts me every time I close my eyes. And it did something to  █████ , that blizzard, and now he’s gone.

S: It messed up his head so badly. I mean… we only saw his mind deteriorating at the beginning… we have no idea how bad it got further ahead when he disappeared. 

S: And I get so many ideas… so many awful images in my head… about what he would have been doing after disappearing into the Prodigy that last time. Was he just aimlessly wandering around? Did Haven force him to go looking for something? 

S: Did he return to the opening?

S: We won’t ever know… because he’s now in the Angel Garden. He’s truly gone. Trapped under a layer of solid fear and grief, out in the open for all to see.

_ [Silence passes for 3:23] _

S: If there really is a god... or many gods even, they all abandoned us years ago.

* * *

_ I’m sorry.  _

_It wasn't your fault._

_ I’m so sorry. - A.M. _


	10. Journal Entry 1 - Acrux

**Journal Entry 1 - Acrux**

* * *

Sirius wants us to investigate all the weird shit inside of the Prodigy. Initially, I thought it was a dumb idea, because we all know there’s something up with the Prodigy and that we probably shouldn’t mess around in there - but who could blame Sirius?

She’s the analytical, intelligent one of us three, so no wonder she wants answers. And really, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want answers either, I’m just worried that exploring the Prodigy may very well push the boundary of staying hidden from Haven. 

But we could. We could run a few explorations, going further each way. Polaris pretty much immediately said that it’d be perfect if I led them, mostly because I’m not going to back down if we find something (or someone) down there.

I’m not afraid to use a gun. And I will use it if I need to.

We once evaluated our boundaries amongst each other when we first united as a group to investigate Haven. I distinctly remember Polaris being absolutely against using a gun of any kind, no matter how much danger he was in. Sirius, of course, thought it through and said that if she had to, she probably would too.

That’s what I like about our little trio. We all have some sort of strength which means we can work best together in critical situations - Polaris and his sense of care for other people, Sirius and her incredibly intelligent mind, and how I never back down from a fight. 

I’m well aware of my tendency to start fights. Whether it be against Haven, or against somebody else - though I have to be careful with both, as starting a fight with another person would probably rat me out as one of the different, independent residents here.

My best… and my worst personality trait is my courage.

It’ll drive me to my grave one day, but you know what? If I died in some wild, horrific way like Haven probably intends to kill me, at least I went out with a bang.

* * *

_God, you're such an idiot. - A.M._


	11. Supplement 2 - Further

**Supplement 2 - Further**

* * *

_This group of documents is not what it appears to be._

_It is not just research - and you will discover this very, very soon._

_Each document is a step on a grand staircase going down. It spirals. It twists and turns into the depths of a place you have never seen before._

_I have also sourced some extra documents from elsewhere which connect directly to the coming chapters._

_With these, you will not only discover the true, twisted nature of Haven, you will also have four other things answered from this point forward:_

> _What drove Acrux to his death?_
> 
> _What left Sirius too afraid to leave her own house - or invite anyone inside?_
> 
> _What pushed Polaris to abandon Sirius in Haven?_
> 
> _And why, oh why, did this tightly-knit group disband so violently?_

_All will be answered._

_\- A.M._


	12. Archive 2 - The Haven Scout Troop, Entry 2

**Archive 2 - The Haven Scout Troop, Entry 2**

* * *

Last edited: 26-04-16

Edited by: Elias Heiser

View edit history

_ Author’s note: _

_ This is where the real shit goes down. _

_ - _

_ I don’t know much about the oldest age group and what they do - only that one day, I’ll either make it in… or live in shame for the rest of my life. _

_ It’s been drilled into everyone. Being inducted into the leaders is a real honour, no matter what lengths you have to go to in order to get there. Even though it’s an honour, only one person ever makes it through the Judgements, 8 trials attempted by 10 people on the day of their 18th birthday. _

_ You make it through, and you’re pretty much worshipped as a god. You don’t make it through, and you’re shamed for the rest of your life. It’s so toxic. And you know what? It’s practically impossible to pass the later Judgements. But people do. And then, once you get down to the final Judgement, it’s a war on morals. I’ll explain more later. _

_ Let’s break down each Judgement, because, well… you’re going to be watching them happen in front of your eyes and you need to be prepared for the horrors you’ll see later on. _

_ The first 4 are rather mundane. _

_ The first Judgement isn’t so much mundane in what happens, just… look, it’s not as bad as the others. You’re tasked with making a trap and catching a bird in the surrounding area. While there are ten participants, there are only nine birds. Whoever doesn’t catch one gets sent off. The remaining participants have to eat the bird. Raw. Bones can be left, along with feathers and feet, but that’s all. Proper wicked shit, I tell you. _

_ Second time, you’re collecting wood with a time limit. There isn’t much to this, other than collecting a required amount in the short amount of time they give you. One person will always be too slow, and will be sent away. This one is directly connected to the third trial, where you take an important object or something from your childhood and burn it using the wood you gathered. Someone always pulls out here as well, mostly because they can’t bear to part from whatever they’re supposed to burn. _

_ The fourth Judgement is where things start feeling off. Well, to be honest, things feel off from the beginning, but this is the only one we as observers are not allowed to watch. All the participants are sat in dark rooms alone, and are forced to take some datura which is one of the strongest hallucinogens you can take. If you don’t know what this shit is, read up about it. Near fatal dosages are so easy to get to. This shit can fucking kill you if you take a tad too much.  _

_ They have a bit of a trip after taking it, and you can hear them screaming and banging their fists against the door. It sounds like they’re being murdered or tortured (they probably are to be perfectly honest) but this isn’t a nice trial to witness. If you can, don’t show up during that one. I still hear their screams sometimes. It’ll go for two days, if not longer. A datura trip can go on for fucking ever.  _

_ For the fifth Judgement, they’re forced to race from one end of the Prodigy to another. I don’t know how they do it - you and I both know how fucked up that place is - but they’re able to get from the east wing to the west wing eventually. Last one to the ‘finish line’ of sorts gets sent away. _

_ You’ll go to the lower reservoir of the power plant for the sixth trial. Here, the remaining 5 participants have concrete tied to their ankles and are pushed right into the reservoir. How do they not drown? No fucking clue. I have my theories, but they’re not nice to hear. I’ll write them at the end. Four of the five will surface, and the fifth contestant will be retrieved from the water (though you won’t see that happen). _

_ The seventh Judgement is one we aren’t allowed to even attend. I don’t know what happens, naturally, but I’m not sure if I want to. _

_ The second last Judgement, the eighth, is actually hosting and attempting a direct connection with Haven in the ritual I explained in the previous article. Though this one is a little different - while there would normally be other participants, this time it’s only the people left in the Judgements. They do it individually, with them being the only vessel or whatever for Haven to take ahold of, and it is so much worse. _

_ There is an insurmountable amount of blood on the floor by the end. _

_ Someone will either be unable to perform the ritual, or not get all the way through the hour, and then there will only be two participants left. _

_ Once you’re at the end, there is a noticeable change in feeling in the room. You won’t realise why until you arrive to see the two final participants surrounded by eight other people, bound at the ankles and wrists, kneeled down on the flooring. Blindfolds cover their eyes. _

_ I’ll tell you now that you will want to intervene over the six hours that this goes on for, but under no circumstances should you do so. I’ll be frank, you’re going to die in there if you don’t blend in.  _

_ A test of morals is presented. _

_ For six hours, the two remaining contestants must torture the eight others who failed. All the tools are there. They can do whatever sick thing they want, provided they keep the other eight participants alive by the end. Whichever one refuses, or pulls out midway through, is sent away - and then you have your winner. _

_ The whole thing is rigged. _

_ I’ll tell you why. _

_ Haven has favourites. It chooses which person should be sent away next. By the end, Haven’s favourite is left. It lets them move onto the final age group. _

_ You have every right to be horrified. _


	13. Video Footage 2 - The Impossible, Made Possible

**Video Footage 2 - The Impossible, Made Possible**

* * *

“We’ve found something incredible!” Acrux exclaims, excitement dripping through his vocal chords. “I… almost can’t quite believe it. This may very well be our chance to get out of here forever!”

His face is blurred from view to protect his identity, though you can see his dusty brown hair sway with his exaggerated, ecstatic movements. Knuckles white in his grip, Acrux tightens his fist and opens his fingers over and over again as a way of containing his barely restrained elation.

“We walked further into Room 34 yesterday. Past the blank white space, until we found something.” He says, recounting his actions. “Though… there’s something strange about that place. You’re numb in there.”

Acrux shifts in place, grinning again.

He laughs a little, lungs squeezing out breath. “You’re not gonna believe it. Somehow, for some reason, everything is dampened there. Your senses - all but sight - and your emotions, too. Sirius has a theory that all the excitement I would be feeling in there is now returning no more than a day later.”

After standing up, the brown-haired, blurry-faced teen in front of the camera paces around, barely able to contain his vivid, overwhelming emotions. With a few forced exhales, trying to get rid of the happiness that’s bubbling over the edge of his mind, he tries to sit back down but ultimately decides against it.

“Haven is there! Through the doorway! And… this one is different. The people are different. I- I think Haven is just Haven, in the way that it is free from whatever the entity is that haunts it!” Acrux barely breathes when he says the following words. “There is a great, great possibility that we can escape Haven through Room 34, and that isn’t setting in. I want to get the hell out of here, and this is our chance!”

His hands shake, knocking over the cup of coffee on his desk. He pays no attention to the spill it creates.

“And even if we can’t truly leave this town… maybe I can just live there forever. Inside Room 34. In a perpetual haven, so to speak, where there is somehow… for  _ some  _ incredible, inexplicable reason… a Haven where there is no true Haven. Where we no longer live in constant fear of getting the sickness we’ve seen so many people die from. Where there is no more suffering.”

“Where there is no more Haven.”

* * *

_ You fucking idiot. You should have listened to yourself. And you should have listened to Polaris and Sirius, for fuck’s sake! Can’t you see what you’ve done? What horrific damage you’ve caused? My god, Acrux, you continue to enrage me every time I read your name and hear your voice. I would have lost my shit at you if I was Polaris or Sirius, the moment you started acting like this. Room 34 is not yours to take and it is not a place where you can just run away from the problem at hand! You fucker. At least you were goddamn grateful for its discovery. If you weren’t, then I would have told Sirius and Polaris to leave you behind in that place, considering how much you loved it so much. You’d get what you wanted, eh? And you’d be numb and trapped in there, free to do whatever the fuck you wanted, just like you thought you could. The sheer amount of disrespect I have for you is astounding.  _

_ I can’t believe you. - A.M. _


	14. Document 4 - The Twisted Hallway

**Document 4 - The Twisted Hallway**

* * *

It only takes a few moments for the Prodigy to reveal its true nature. You take a step into the first hallway towards the rehearsal rooms, and then it all goes downhill from there.

The wallpaper  _ glitches. _ There isn’t a better word to describe it. It flickers from one appearance to another erratically, shifting and shaking the patterns, making it hard to concentrate on the floor ahead of you. Pristine royal red carpet rolls down ahead of you, although sometimes it isn’t so pristine, and has dirty scuffs and bloody stains all over it.

A bit further, and the framing of the hallway starts to warp and twist. One second you can see where you came from, but after you turn back once you’ve looked ahead of yourself, you can no longer see your entry point. The very hallway itself extends and compresses by the second, unbeknownst to whoever is inside at the time.

Measurements that were taken of the hallway’s length exceed the exterior measurements of the theatre by an astronomical amount. This strange, wildly changing place is impossible to solve using science, because the location itself is impossible. 

Audio recordings pick up a quiet, wavering howl from somewhere deeper, further down through the twisting hallways and warped rooms of the Prodigy. The hallway is a fraction warmer than the main hall, along with the humidity being a touch higher. 

Whatever is further down into the theatre, possibly even at the end - if there is one - the temperature may be considerably higher than the regular temperature in the main hall. If there is an ending, then it mustn’t be far from the first hallway, considering the size of the hallway alone in comparison to the theatre’s exterior.

Though that theory may prove to be incorrect after further exploration. Acrux volunteered to walk a bit further and the hallway opens up to a room that he describes as a changing, flickering space that is both full of things and completely empty at the same time. 

Further examination is recommended.

People shouldn’t be inside the Prodigy, that’s for sure. But they have been before, and they will be in the future. 


	15. Archive 3 - The Haven Scout Troop, Part 3

**Archive 3 - The Haven Scout Troop, Part 3**

* * *

Last edited: 29-04-16

Edited by: Elias Heiser

View edit history

_ Author’s note: _

_ There is no document here. I’d just like to wish you luck, really. If you ever need support, you know I’m here. Don’t dull down the pain that you feel from being in that hellscape of a place. And if it’s ever too much, I can get you out of the gatherings for good. If you still want info, I can give it to you. _

_ Don’t worry about me. I’ve been a part of this my whole life - you haven’t. _


	16. Voice Log 3 - Sirius

**Voice Log 3 - Sirius**

* * *

S: I… I just got back from the first night at the scout troop.

S: Something that Elias didn’t warn me about is now normal it all feels. I didn’t feel out of place when I walked in, and until they- until they did the, um…

S: ...the ritual thing, you know… it felt normal. And I hated how I felt like I belonged there.

S: It’s something about the location, that’s for sure. The hall is out the back of the Angel Garden, just neighbouring it, keeping it ever so slightly out of sight. Surely that must mean something.

S: Either way… I hate to admit it… but after that ritual, I no longer have that fire that burns deep inside of me - the desire to defy Haven is gone. Something smothered it, and I’m terrified of that.

S: Is Haven still inside of me, somewhere? Little leftovers, that never escaped my bloodstream after the conclusion of the ritual? Has it finally found me?

S: I don’t want to endanger the others by being a part of this. So I’ve decided that I’ll pay witness to the horrific Judgements, and then completely cut myself off from the scout troop altogether. Nothing more, nothing less. 

S: The vital information I might gather during these rituals and during the Judgements is simply too irreplaceable to be too scared to gain a hold of. Think about it… this may be the solution to maybe even half of the questions we have about Haven!

_[Silence passes for 30 seconds]_

S: Elias was right, too. About the, uh… the ritual. How you really feel Haven there, as if it was touching your shoulder.

S: They did one to welcome me. And they just… everyone just _watched me_. Watched as I got closer to dying than I think I ever have. 

* * *

_I should have been there in your place, Sirius. There was only so far you could have gone, and we both knew this. I offered to take your place, and while I respected your decision to say no and go yourself, I cared about you too much to not stop worrying about you every time you returned with another slice on your palm for Polaris to bandage. I’m sorry you had to go through all of that._

_\- A.M._


End file.
